


A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Scene in Mirrors

by Shadowlover



Category: Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 13:22:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5457950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowlover/pseuds/Shadowlover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>With apologies to William Shakespeare and thanks to my betas!</p></blockquote>





	A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Scene in Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elasmo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elasmo/gifts).



### Act 0, Scene 1

#### Afternoon. A Beach in India.

_**TITANIA** and **ASHA** are sitting together on a sandy beach. **ASHA** nestles against **TITANIA** with a sigh._

**ASHA**  
Most gracious lady; sweet Titania  
A boon, I pray, I must beseech from thee.  
Thou know’st I have a dear beloved son,  
The apple of his mother’s prideful eye;  
And know’st thou too his father is long gone -  
That wretch! I pity me the hapless worms,  
His rancid flesh by duty bound to eat -  
And for his prospects therefore I despair. 

**TITANIA**  
How now, my sweet, hast thou no faith in me?  
A future for thy son I will assure.  
My lord hath little wish to take a page,  
But see you here; I’ll hide the lad away  
And straightaway he’ll clamor to lay claim,  
And take him to his service in my spite. 

**ASHA**  
From all thou’st said thy Lord is no bad man,  
If, as men are, inclined to jealousy;  
An thou can’st to my son a place secure,  
I’ll give thee all that thou could’st ever wish;  
A willing slave to thy sweet tender lips... 

_They exit, hand in hand, giggling_

 

### Act 0, Scene 2

#### Noon of the next day. A woodland glade, near Athens, dappled green and gold.

_Enter **TITANIA** , stealthily. She looks around and then looks offstage and beckons. Enter **PUCK** , cautiously._

**TITANIA**  
Come knavish Sprite, and tarry here awhile  
For with thee I’d have speech of great import.  
Thou know’st thy Lord’s been glooming round of late?

 **PUCK**  
A melancholy Lord’s a sadness, true… 

**TITANIA**  
Then listen well! I’ve taken thought to cheer  
His spirits and restore his sunny smile.  
Thou surely know’st it’s winning he adores,  
So let us two a victory concoct,  
In besting me he’ll find a great delight;  
Delighted he’ll his old self be again,  
And all the court be merry with him too.

 **PUCK**  
A melancholy Lord’s a sadness; yet  
A Lord enragéd is no better choice.  
And if this plan of thine should go awry,  
Enragéd is not strong enough a term  
For what my Lord will be when he finds out. 

**TITANIA**  
Oh, come now, gentle Puck, art thou afeared  
Of making mischief now? I don’t believe  
I’ve ever heard a tale that rang less true. 

**PUCK**  
My Lady, I am not so much afeared  
Of making mischief as of making yours!  
I know full well you have some plot in hand  
Before I'll join thee, tell me what that is.

 **TITANIA**  
There is a child who I have vowed to help  
A comely lad, of nature sweet and gay;  
His mother is a votaress of mine  
And did my aid most sweetly she entreat.  
She fears there’s little future for her son  
Whose father has long gone to feed the worms,  
And I bethought me of my Oberon  
Whose court hath had no page for many moons.

 **PUCK** , _with a suspicious look_  
My Lady, will you pledge it’s so to me?

 **TITANIA** , _coyly_  
I will, but ere I pledge, I first should speak  
The other cause for which I hatched this plan  
Thou know’st my Lord is jealous of my time,  
Although he spends his own just as he please;  
As with Hippolyta he oft hath lain,  
I wish to take some pleasure for myself.  
A handsome weaver, who hath caught my eye,  
Will come to the Duke’s Oak past dark tonight,  
And with him then do I intend to tarry.

 **PUCK** , _with a laugh and a rogueish grin_  
Well then, my Lady, if that’s fully all,  
Far be from me an obstacle to place  
Athwart thy pleasures - or indeed thy plans!  
Let us then pause and put our heads together  
And by our careful plots success assure.  
And when thou next art feeling too neglected  
Perhaps thine eye light closer to thy home…

_**TITANIA** eyes **PUCK** speculatively for a moment as he preens. She licks her lips, then looks away._

**TITANIA**  
I have already told him that the lad  
Cannot be his for any boon or gift;  
Remember you that flow’r that he oft mentions?  
Methinks they call it _love-in-idleness_ ;  
If laid on sleeping eyelids, does its juice  
Bewitch the sleeper, such that what they see  
When first awakened, then becomes their love.  
Do thou with guile his mind upon it set,  
That when he wonders how to make me pay,  
The first thing that he thinks of is that flow’r.  
Then when he comes to use its juice on me  
I'll waking lie, though feigning deepest sleep  
And so the herb will touch me not at all.

_**PUCK** nods, amused_

**PUCK**  
Thy plan seems like to work, at least to me.  
I go now to set up the play to come!

_**PUCK** leaves with a swagger. **TITANIA** leaves in the opposite direction, eyes sparkling._

 

### Act 2, Scene 1

#### Night. The wood near Athens. 

_Enter, from opposite sides, a **FAIRY** , and **PUCK**. They converse for a short time._

_**OBERON** enters with his train from one side of the stage; from the other, **TITANIA** enters with hers. **OBERON** chides **TITANIA** for that she refuses to yield to him the Indian boy; **TITANIA** replies with scant courtesy, before leaving with her train._

 

### Act 2, Scene 2

####  Another part of the wood. 

_**TITANIA** enters with her train and makes ready to sleep. The fairies, after some pointed nods from **TITANIA** leave her resting there alone. **TITANIA** pretends to fall into a deep slumber._

_**OBERON** enters and squeezes the juice of a flower on **TITANIA** 's eyelids._

 

### Act 3, Scene 1

####  The wood where **TITANIA** lies asleep. 

_The **PLAYERS** enter, **BOTTOM** among them, and attempt to rehearse the tale of Pyramus and Thisbee. **PUCK** leads **BOTTOM** offstage for a moment; when they return, **BOTTOM** wears the head of an ass, and the other **PLAYERS** flee in horror._

_With a nod and a wink at **TITANIA** who grins at him, **PUCK** chases after them, driving them ever further away._

**TITANIA** , _feigning to awaken_  
What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

_She doubletakes slightly as she sees **BOTTOM** , ruefully rolling her eyes at what **PUCK** has mischievously done. Her gaze then drifts lower down, and her expression lightens. After a moment, a wicked smile creeps back onto her face._

_After merry talk, **TITANIA** and her train lead **BOTTOM** away, but are intercepted by **OBERON**. **TITANIA** , acting as if she is too distracted to care, sends one of her attendants to fetch the Indian boy to give to **OBERON** as he requests._

_**TITANIA** and **BOTTOM** dally in the bower for much of the night, until at last, spent, they sleep, with **TITANIA** ’s attendants watching over them._

_As the dawn approaches, **PUCK** enters in great haste, and shoos the other faeries away. With some worried looks they obey his frantic gestures. He leaps behind a tree and hides as **OBERON** enters, then pretends to enter himself a few moments later, casually, to watch Oberon ‘release’ **TITANIA**._

_**TITANIA** awakens and, seeing **OBERON** , feigns great confusion and contrition, eventually leaving hand in hand with him, while he looks smug._

 

### Act 5, Scene 1

####  Athens. The palace of **THESEUS**. 

_After their several marriages, the happy couples watch the **PLAYERS** present the tale of Pyramus and Thisbee. At the end, each couple leaves together to seek their bed._

_As the mortals depart, **OBERON** and **TITANIA** enter with their train. **OBERON** blesses the house and all within, especially the offspring of the several unions taking place, then takes **TITANIA** ’s arm to lead her away._

_As she leaves, **TITANIA** turns to **PUCK** and winks._

**Author's Note:**

> With apologies to William Shakespeare and thanks to my betas!


End file.
